Together at Last
by crossingboston
Summary: Rita and Norman are excited to get to the DLO. They know Shane has returned, but they're not sure whether it's been an awkward reunion or a new beginning. They can't wait to hear the story.
1. Chapter 1

Norman picked Rita up at her door, hugging her, then kissing her on the cheek as he met her. She was beautiful inside and out, and he was going to spend the rest of his life appreciating her, hoping to make her as happy as he made her. As he released her from the embrace, he looked at her, somewhat shyly and touched her cheek. "I still can't believe I found the words to ask you to marry me, and I am so grateful that you said yes."

Rita smiled sweetly at him and sighed. "Oh, Norman, I'm the lucky one. I always hoped we'd be together."

Norman smiled a big warm smile and offered her his arm. They were going to enjoy the beautiful day together from start to finish, with a nice walk to the DLO to start them off. He always enjoyed walking with Rita.

"Norman, I know we were hoping to go for a nice stroll, but I'm wondering if we can walk a little more quickly," Rita began. "Shane's back. She texted to let me know she's back, but didn't say much beyond that. I can't wait to see her…and can't wait to see how things are."

Norman furrowed his brows. "What things," he asked.

"I want to see how Shane and Oliver are…together. I want to see if everything is ok with them."

Norman nodded thoughtfully. "I hope for Oliver's sake that everything's ok. I feel like when Shane left he was so much more shaken than he was when Holly left. If it was hard for him when she was in Langley, it will be harder when she's back if they haven't figured things out."

Rita echoed his nod. "He's so in love with her. And she's in love with him. They've been dancing around it for so long. When I see them together, I keep thinking "how many ways can you say 'I love you without actually saying I love you?'".

Norman stopped for just a second. "I know, right?" He thought for a moment, then continued. "Rita, do you remember the night when you first told me you loved me?"

"Of course, I do, Norman! Like it was yesterday. It was when Holly was in town, and Shane just told us she was leaving the DLO and the Post Office. We were both so sad.

And you asked me if I was in love with Ramon." She turned toward him. "I still can't believe you thought I was in love with Ramon. I think I was in love with you from the first time we bumped heads."

Norman smiled brightly and said softly, "I think I fell in love with you then too. But when you told me you loved me, I felt unstoppable, unsquashable, like I could do anything. I kissed you that night. I didn't overthink it. I just did it. It was the boldest move I've ever made. I hope Oliver is bold with Shane. He needs to be."

"Either that, or Shane's just going to need to be bold with him," Rita said frankly.

They'd arrived at the Denver Main Branch, and Norman held the door to allow Rita to enter the building before him. "Thank you, Norman," Rita said, and gave her fiancé a warm smile. Together, they made their way into the DLO, where all was quiet. They were early.

"Something feels different." Rita said immediately, taking in the DLO. Norman looked around the space that was as much a home as his own home.

"Oh," Norman began, raising a finger, then pointing it. "It's Shane's desk. It's back near Oliver's."

"Well, that's certainly a good sign," Rita told him. Then she shifted gears. "Want to start sorting that new bin that came in on Friday? I need to keep busy until I see Shane, or Oliver, or both of them."

"Sure, Rita", Norman responded.

They looked for a free space, which was increasingly hard to find thanks to Shane's absence. "I don't know how we cleared so many letters and packages before Shane," Rita stated. "We're so far behind now, but I guess Oliver would say 'to everything there is a season'. "

"And for these packages and letters, while Shane was gone, it wasn't their season." Norman stated, gesturing toward the growing piles of misdirected mail.

They reached for letters in the bin. Rita placed one with the other hopelessly ripped and mangled items. Then she found 3 that she placed in the basket that would require the use of Norman Dorman's Revelation Solution. She smiled, momentarily, proud of Norman for his amazing invention. She reached for another envelope and heard the door to the DLO open. She and Norman froze, looked up, and saw Oliver and Shane walking in together, deep in conversation. They were both smiling. Rita dropped the letter.


	2. Chapter 2

Shane heard something smack the floor. She looked up and saw Rita and Norman. She smiled and scurried over to them, enveloping them both in a tight hug. "Congratulations! I am so happy for you, and I missed you both so much." She stepped back from them and looked at both of them. They looked different. Confident. Happy. This engagement thing looked good on them.

"We really missed you!" Rita said, taking Shane in.

Norman shook his head vigorously, standing after he picked up the envelope on the floor. "Yes, we did. The DLO was not the same without you. Books with pictures are helpful and a photographic memory goes a long way toward delivery of what lands in the DLO, but tech support? We need that. A lot. A lot more than we thought," Norman said, his fingers gesturing to the growing piles. "Uh, I think we're going to have some long days ahead of us."

Shane laughed, and Oliver chuckled. With the four of them back together, that sounded just fine.

"Rita, can I see your ring?" Rita smiled proudly and held out her hand, and Norman inched closer as if he still couldn't believe Rita was wearing the ring he gave her. Shane looked at it, put a hand to her heart. "It's beautiful, and so wonderfully you." She looked at Norman. "You couldn't have done better. A perfect ring for the woman who's perfect for you."

Norman smiled at his bride-to-be.

They stood in silence, for a moment, enjoying the happiness that had settled into the DLO.

Rita looked up at Shane. "So tell us about…wherever you were," she said.

Shane sighed. "I can't really talk about much of it. Unfortunately, it's classified. But I can say that I was outside the US. It was a military operation, and for a while, it felt pretty routine other than long hours and being in the middle of nowhere. And then the explosions started."

Rita's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my goodness," she gasped. "How did you deal with that? Were you scared?"

Shane nodded. "I was afraid for a while. I thought I might not get the chance to come home. I was never so happy to land in Denver as I was this time."

Rita hugged Shane again. "I am so glad you are safe. I prayed that you would be."

Shane looked at Rita. "Thank you, I did, too."

"I think we all did," Oliver said, unable to resist inching closer to Shane. Maybe someday she'd share more about her experiences in parts unknown. But it was safe to say that he could have lost her, and it would be a long time before he would be comfortable letting her out of his sight for any length of time.

Norman looked at Shane and Oliver, noticing that Oliver had inched into Shane's personal space, and he looked pretty comfortable there. It looked like perhaps Shane's homecoming had been a pretty happy one. "Hey, Oliver, he began, "I was thinking that I'm in the mood for a smoothie, and I bet Rita would like one too. Would you go to the Mailbox Grille with me so we can grab smoothies and a skinny vanilla latte for Shane?"

"That's an excellent idea, Norman," Oliver stated, and the two men headed toward the door.


End file.
